Best of the ODIs: Bangladesh vs New Zealand

It is the business end as far as ODI cricket in the lead-up to the World Cup is concerned, and the home series against Bangladesh presents New Zealand with a chance for redemption after the defeat to India. Prior to the start of the ongoing series, the Black Caps have won 21 out of 31 ODIs in this fixture. Interestingly, none of Bangladesh’s ten wins have come in New Zealand. As the Tigers aim to break the duck, here is a look back at six exciting ODIs between the two teams.

New Zealand survive Aftab scare – Second ODI, Dhaka, 2004-05

New Zealand took a 2-0 lead in the three-match series, but not before collapsing against the medium pace of Aftab Ahmed under lights at the Bangabandhu Stadium. New Zealand’s pace attack had Bangladesh reeling at 51/5, before Rajin Saleh and wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud (41) put on 57 for the sixth wicket. But the innings subsided to 146 all out soon after, and when openers Matthew Sinclair and Nathan Astle added 74, the visitors looked set for a thumping win.

Aftab removed Astle and Hamish Marshall in the same over, while left-arm spinner Mohammad Rafique snared Sinclair (62), making the score 102/3. Aftab (5/31) then dented the middle order to take the first ODI five-wicket haul by a Bangladeshi, and the game was now turning on its head. When Chris Harris was seventh out to pacer Tapash Baisya, New Zealand still needed 16. To their relief, Chris Cairns and Daniel Vettori saw them home by three wickets in the 45th over.

Shakib leads from the front – Fourth ODI, Dhaka, 2010-11

Holding a 2-0 lead in the five-ODI series (the second match was abandoned due to rain), Bangladesh were struggling at 44/3 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium when captain Shakib Al Hasan came out to bat. The all-rounder shared in stands of 51 with Imrul Kayes, 51 with Mushfiqur Rahim, and 68 with Mahmudullah for the fourth, fifth and sixth wickets respectively, and went on to score 106 in 113 balls, with 11 fours and a six. His effort carried the total to 241.

New Zealand slipped to 80/5 in response. Kane Williamson waged a lone battle, and as long as he was there, New Zealand’s hopes were alive. He shared in a 70-run stand for the sixth wicket with Grant Elliott, and later added another 53 for the eighth wicket with Nathan McCullum. But with ten needed in four balls, Williamson was the last man out for 108, giving Bangladesh their first series win over New Zealand. Shakib took 3/54 with his left-arm spin to go with his century.

Rubel stars in a low-scorer – Fifth ODI, Dhaka, 2010-11

Three days later at the same venue, Bangladesh notched an even narrower win to achieve a historic 4-0 sweep of the series. The hosts lost wickets at regular intervals after electing to bat first, and save for a fifth-wicket alliance of 55 between Shakib (who top-scored with 36) and Mushfiqur, there was no partnership of substance. The innings terminated at 174 in the 45th over, with paceman Kyle Mills and left-arm-spinning captain Daniel Vettori taking three wickets each.

The modest total was soon made to look imposing, as New Zealand incredibly crashed to 20/5. Three of these five victims were netted by fast bowler Rubel Hossain. Vettori (43) and Elliott (59) forged a sixth-wicket stand of 86, but when the ninth wicket fell, New Zealand were still 30 away. Some clean hitting from Mills brought it down to eight off the last over. Fittingly, the 20-year-old Rubel (4/25) castled Mills off the third ball to secure a three-run victory for Bangladesh.

Another clean sweep for the Tigers – Third ODI, Fatullah, 2013-14

Three years after blanking New Zealand at home, Bangladesh repeated the dose, this time in a three-match series. Having lost the first two games mainly due to ordinary batting, New Zealand, under stand-in captain Mills (regular captain Brendon McCullum was ruled out due to a sore back), posted a formidable 307/5. Ross Taylor struck 107* from 93 balls, and put on 130 for the fourth wicket with Colin Munro (85). Taylor’s late charge yielded 73 runs off the last five overs.

A 61-run opening stand between Shamsur Rahman (96) and Ziaur Rahman gave the Tigers a solid start. Shamsur kept the chase on track by adding 65 with Mominul Haque for the second wicket and 75 with Naeem Islam (63) for the fourth wicket, before being fourth out at 204. Naeem in turn put on 50 for the sixth wicket with Nasir Hossain (44*). With three needed, Sohag Gazi hit a four to seal a four-wicket win with four balls left, thus ensuring another ‘Banglawash’.

New Zealand’s previous three World Cup matches against Bangladesh (in 1999, 2003 and 2007) had produced comfortable wins. However, they had to work a lot harder to beat the Tigers in the 2015 edition, and thereby finish the group stage unbeaten. Mahmudullah, whose 103 against England four days earlier was instrumental in confirming Bangladesh’s quarterfinal berth, scored his second successive ton – this time an unbeaten 128 – to improve the total from 27/2 to 288/7.

New Zealand lost captain Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson with only 33 on the board, but Martin Guptill was in his element. The opener cracked 11 fours and two sixes in a 100-ball 105, and built a crucial third-wicket stand of 131 with Taylor (56). Bangladesh chipped away though, and the equation read a tight 20 from 16 balls at the fall of the seventh wicket. It was left to Vettori and Tim Southee to see New Zealand home by three wickets with seven balls to spare.

Both teams needed to win in order to remain in contention for the semifinals. A third-wicket stand of 83 between captain Williamson (57) and Taylor (63) steered New Zealand to 152/2 in the 30th over, but Bangladesh fought back with timely strikes to limit the total to 265/8. Part-time off-spinner Mosaddek Hossain (3/13) played a key role by reining in the middle order. Bangladesh’s reply began poorly as Southee scalped Tamim Iqbal for a duck off the second ball.

Southee took two more wickets to leave the score tottering at 12/3, which duly became 33/4. Mahmudullah joined Shakib at this stage, and the duo proceeded to stage a remarkable turnaround. By the time Shakib was out for a 115-ball 114, their fifth-wicket stand had grown to 224 – a new Bangladeshi record for any wicket. Mahmudullah remained unbeaten on 102 off 107 balls, while Mosaddek struck the four that capped a five-wicket win for the Tigers in 47.2 overs.